Local candidate fingerprinted in connection to fatal hit-and-run

FORT MYERS, Fla. – An outspoken candidate for Lee County Supervisor of Elections, Dan Sinclair, was voluntarily fingerprinted Wednesday in connection to a fatal June 19 hit-and-run.

The candidate provided DNA samples and his cellphone to detectives in an effort to “exclude him from the crime scene, as is standard investigative practice,” his attorney, Spencer Cordell said.

Sinclair is not a suspect in the crime that claimed the life of 18-year-old Adam King, according to Cordell and a source with the Fort Myers Police Department. King was killed on Colonial Boulevard near Midpoint Bridge. His mother has vowed to find the person responsible for his death.

The owner of the truck involved in the hit-and-run denied any involvement with the fatal wreck. Adam Costello turned over his vehicle when he discovered it was involved in the incident, his lawyer said in a statement days after King was killed.

The connection between Costello, the hit-and-run and Sinclair was not immediately clear. However, on Thursday, Sinclair said he was celebrating Father’s Day with Costello who “lost his father, his brother and his aunt all within 14 months.”

The pair was at Twin Peaks, located on Corporate Commerce Way, around lunchtime and “bouncing around different restaurants saying ‘Hi!’ to friends, socializing,” Sinclair said.

He said they drove in his car for their outing, but is unsure of the exact timing and when they parted ways.

“I don’t have exact time frames. I only have time frames for when I have receipts,” Sinclair said.

Sinclair said he never saw Costello driving the truck involved in the wreck on June 19.

Over the weekend, Sinclair held a press conference to defend his innocence.

“I want to state, for the record, that I was not present when this tragedy occurred but will offer whatever assistance I can during the investigation of this horrific event and I truly hope that justice is served,” Sinclair said.

He also said he believes his friend Costello was not responsible for the death.

“Everything I’ve seen has shown me it’s not him,” Sinclair said. “Until they show me it was him, I don’t believe it.”

But Sinclair also said “I can’t say anything one way or the other, I mean, I wasn’t there. If I found out it was Adam [Costello], I’d drag him down to the police station myself.”

Sinclair was involved in a previous controversy when his friend, David Levin, said in a video online that he accidentally hacked into the Lee County Supervisor of Elections website. Sinclair was featured in that video and is expected to run against the current Supervisor of Elections, Sharon Harrington, in the fall.